APPLETON - One of the Fox Valley's longest-running arts groups is hitting a significant milestone this year.

To celebrate, the MacDowell Male Chorus will do what it does best. Sing.

"Brothers in Song 85 Years Strong" is the title of a series of anniversary concert put on by the Appleton-based nonprofit this month. The chorus, founded in 1934, is toasting to 85 years.

The first of these concerts was in early April in De Pere. There are three more ahead. One is at 2 p.m. Sunday at Xavier Fine Arts Theatre in Appleton, the other at 7:30 p.m. May 3 and 2 p.m. May 5, both at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel in Appleton.

What keeps a nonprofit arts organization — one that relies on its performers to also sell tickets, book performances and handle other important duties — moving forward year after year, decade after decade? Director Herb Berendsen said a big part of it is the familial atmosphere.

"It goes to the whole brotherhood thing," said Berendsen, who is in his ninth year at the helm. "It's really an important part of who we are — the camaraderie of coming together and singing together. It really develops special friendships and bonds."

In 85 years, the chorus has put on more than 2,400 performances in 75 cities in the Midwest and Canada.

"It's a jewel in the Fox Valley and not that many people know about it," Berendsen said.

Buy Photo

Singers from the MacDowell Male Chorus rehearse at Xavier High School on April 15 in Appleton.(Photo: Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Now in his 49th year, Paul Tyriver, of Neenah, is the MacDowell Male Chorus' longest-serving member. A lot has changed since he first joined as a 23-year-old just back from Vietnam.

"I think that the culture has changed in that when I first joined there was a very strong sense of loyalty to the group and to the community," he said. "I think that there still is but it's not as intense or as strong. I think there's a lot of other competing venues in the community that take away some of the sense of loyalty to the group. The customer following that we had when I first joined was a lot stronger."

Tyriver said the future still looks bright. They've brought in some younger singers -- a few of the singers are in their 20s — and there'll always be an interest in music. Berendsen also said it helps having other choruses around, including the Appleton Boychoir and in the high schools.

The chorus' history dates back to 1934 and membership has varied between 60 and 100 members. There were peaks in the 1940s and '70s, where memberships hit or exceeded triple digits. The repertoire consists of mostly religious or patriotic works or show tunes.

While the times have changed — and maybe the interest in amateur community arts endeavors has receded over time — the current group of about 65 singers is still dedicated. The members do what they can as they head toward the century mark.

"It's an interesting group in that the only thing we have in common is we all like to sing," Tyriver said. "We come from different backgrounds. We have different careers. We have different families and interests, but the one commonality is we love to sing — and we love to sing well."

Margaret Killa, of Appleton, serves as the group's historian. Her late husband, John Killa, was a member for 47 years before his death last year. The Killas also were the keepers of scrapbooks and other pieces of MacDowell history and put out a book for the 75th anniversary in 2009.

Buy Photo

Rick Stark rehearses with the MacDowell Male Chorus, a local arts group celebrating 85 years, at Xavier High
School earlier this month in Appleton.(Photo: Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

"When you think about it a majority of these people are not trained singers," she said. "They had some high school training or maybe some training with their church choirs, but as such right now I think other than the director I don't think any of them have a musical degree. I think that's been good because no matter whatever profession they are, lawyers, doctors, farmers, blue collar workers, white collar workers, the thing that holds them together is a love of music."

Killa is known as an "honorary member" of the all-male group and is one of just a handful of females who've been involved over the years. There have been a few woman accompanists throughout the run, though the group is again just men.

"They're a great group of guys," she said. "They treat me like a sister."